I've been having a "wicked" time...

Hello my pretties! :)

Here's hoping you are all having a great weekend! :) I've been so exicted for Halloween...been making all kinds of creatures. Even my hubby has gotten in on the act! He drew me a sketch and I can't WAIT to make it!

For now, though, I have a bunch of witch items all finished up and ready to go to new homes. Can you tell I'm reading "Wicked?" LOL

They are already up on ebay and etsy with ooodles of pictures...feel free to fly on over to check them out! I had a great time coming up with the descriptions...especially on the sisters...so I hope you'll at least go for the read and a good chuckle. ;)

In all the excitement, we made a video for you too! Come see how witches get their supplies...over at Potions & Cackles...your everyday store for things so very NOT everyday!



Have a mAgIcAl day! :)

Hello my lovelies!!

This is my Alice Story Doll. I have finally finished her...she was meant to be finished for the Mad Hatter Tea Party, but she needed more attention than I could give her. She is the last Alice thing I will be doing for a while. :)

The point of these dolls is to put the character's passion where it belongs, inside the doll because it is defines its character.

Don't our passions drive every sense of our being?

When we are not following our passion, does it not constantly call to us to come back?

For Alice in Wonderland, what drives her is her curiousity. After all, without it, she would have never followed that untimely rabbit down his hole, not to mention deeper and deeper into Wonderland!

The diorama part of the story doll has a lot of detail. If you recall, the hole was lined with furniture and shelves, full of all things a rabbit would need.

My favorite?

The portrait of the Rabbit himself.

Other things you will find: clocks, books, candles, carrots, bi-focals, etc.

The rabbit is suspended in the doll, caught in time as he dives down further into the hole.

A yellow heart is on the back of his red vest...it matches his yellow buttons.

A clock rests snugly in his pocket.

What is YOUR passion?

What are you doing today to make sure you follow it?

Haven't done it yet?

Get those feet up and moving! :)

Girl and Bluebird in the Rain

She is so sad, did you know? She's standing in the rain, all cold and wet. She's shivering as the happy bluebird passes by. He's nice and dry carrying his pretty red umbrella. Sad girl has an umbrella too...why doesn't she just pick it up so she can be happy too? I'm not sure. I know sometimes I don't pick it up either.



Sometimes in life we have problems that we can fix ourselves. The answer, tool, or umbrella is right there within our reach. All we have to do is pick up the umbrella and just allow ourselves to be happy. We are in charge of the actions we take and responsible for the ones we don't.

In my house, this painting has inspired the cheerful phrase, "Just pick up the stupid umbrella!" We say this with a laugh, but the point is coming across. My nephew got his cell phone taken away because his grades were falling...all because he didn't do the in class assignments.He was sad and I asked him, "Why didn't you just pick up the stupid umbrella?!" It was up to him whether he did the assignment or chatted in class. He laughed, but understood. I'm sure he was imagining himself standing in the rain just like my sad girl.

This painting just sort of happened and I'm glad it did. :) I wanted to do a red umbrella and work on my girls showing more expression in their faces. There was a good discussion going on over at Gritty Jane's and by the end of it, I was determined to find a new way to do an eye. I got to the point that I would add the pupil and decided not to. I wasn't sure if it was cool or a little bit creepy, but in the end, I think it makes her look more soulful.

She has joined my Dorothy and another painting on ebay.

Have a great day...and don't forget to pick up your umbrella! :)

If Happy Little Bluebirds Fly...

Why oh why can't I?

At least that is what my Dorothy wants to know! I've had the idea of a story doll for a long time and she is finally done! It took a Prim and Whimsy challenge to get my wheels rolling...I submitted her on the very last day just in time! I wanted to make Dorothy and show what she really wants, what is her heart's desire. What better place to put it than where her heart is? The diorama part of her is my most favorite.

Then her hair. :) And ruby mary janes!She's up one ebay now, with more explanation too. I learned a lot from making her and have several more versions of story dolls in my head. So fun!
I couldn't do this post without adding this clip. If you ever have the chance to get the soundtrack, do so! Listening to this song in the car...so crystal clear...it's like she's singing it in the passenger seat. Sigh...Judy is the best.

And so are you, for stopping by to visit...thanks!

Prim & Whimsy Gallery Hop!

Hey Santas, what is all the fuss about?

What's that you say? Prim & Whimsy is having a Gallery Hop?!

Lots of cute goodies are looking for new homes?

Sounds fantastic! I'll see you there Santas!

These are the Santas that I started back in August! It's never too late to start shopping for Christmas, right? I figured out my own paper mache pulp recipe. The arid climate hear makes it perfect for drying. They look very sweet in candlelight...the glitter is my favorite glitter of all time and there is LOTS of it on there. Have a great weekend my lovelies! :)

Who's in the Mood for an Egg Hunt?

Ooooooooohh...I can barely hold my excitement! Prim and Whimsy is doing an egg hunt and my dear, sweet friends...they are having a giveaway just for you! :)


Here is how you enter:

I donated items for the baskets and entered the Easter Egg Parade as well. You might remember this make-do set. I dressed it up some more...click on the link for a bigger picture. There is lovely, delicious glitter inside the egg now and each has a creamy satin ribbon too! It is now up on ebay, along with some paintings too!So won't you please join in on the egg hunt? Just go to Prim and Whimsy to pick your favorite egg. If that just happens to be mine, then that's just icing on the cake! :) And don't forget to search for that Golden Egg! I hope you win! :)

Santa's Cookie Break

It's tough delivering all those packages in one night! Santa takes a much needed cookie break before getting started again. He's munching down over on ebay. I've been having fun with the metallics and glitters lately...good season to be playing with them! His beard has a tint of glitter and the green is shimmery, but subtle.

So you saw the tree I did for Lil, but I'm having such a hard time with Madeline's Wizard of Oz tree! It's a white tree, with a white feather boa and marabou boa...that much looked good. Then I added red balls with blue gingham ribbon and now it looks awful. :( Definitely not stuffed! So far I've thought of using yellow ribbon for the yellow brick road. Something emerald-y maybe? What do you think?

I'm sure you are all super busy this time of year and have a lot to do on your plates. I just wanted to say THANK YOU for stopping by to visit me! :)

Holiday Scenes

Well, I had to do something while Mummy Girl was drying! ;) I used scrap fabric to created little painted sets. They can be arranged in so many ways, even stand up on its own. They are on ebay.
Been staying up super late almost every night this week. Busy with stuff for the girls...lots of events going on! I'm on fast forward and making these little sets up gave me a nice break! (Even if it is 4:30am!)

I'm on my way over to etsy to put my Halloween stuff on sale...good morning all! :)

Tea, Anyone?

I had so much fun painting this one up! Thank you for all the great comments on the sketches! I always enjoy it when bloggers show the progression of a painting, so I did one myself. You'll never get a video out of me, I'm afraid...I paint with my nose to the paper!! lol Its on ebay...click the painting to go there! :)

Just What Have I Been Doing Anyway? :)

Hello Ladies! :)

I wanted to show you what I managed to finish while I've been drowning in work, laundry, and leading Lillian's new Daisy troop! First, a bit of paperclay! I have witches in progress, but could just not NOT work on this little bunny couple!

I think they are called Make-Dos? It was really fun piecing this together. The candlesticks were once brass, but are now dark brown and aged. The egg they are sitting in was from Lillian's Easter basket. The bust is also made of Easter eggs. The couple are wearing HANDMADE lace that I bought at an antique store in Big Bear, Ca and dyed them with tea. The buttons are from Lillian's baby clothes...how fun is that?
The eggs were covered in vintage text, but the back was really fun. Those swirls are embossed and you can see the letters peeking through underneath. The bunnies are aged and softly tinted. I like that it would be good for Easter, but could also sit out all year because it doesn't scream holiday. It is listed on etsy as a set and they are more close-up pictures there too.

Next, my painting collage of Alice...all grown up!

Even though Alice probably would have loved to stay young and play in Wonderland everyday, she grew up as all little girls do. That does not mean, however, that she forgot about those times chasing that lovely rabbit! If you look at her skirt, you can see that part of Wonderland is always on her mind!

Even though Alice grew up, she still manages to sneak away from her adult life and visit wonderland every now and then. She leaves the laundry, the cooking, and the stress to travel to that other world, have a very merry unbirthday, and allow herself to be a little girl again...even if just for a little while. Here she is, contemplating yet another adventure.

Were you a little girl once too? Alice wants to remind you to always take some time out for yourself and allow that little girl to come out every now and then and refresh your spirits. After all, if you're not going to have fun now...just WHEN will you have it?

Halloween ACEOs

Good Morning All!

Thank you for all the Kindred Spirit love! :) It truly is an amazing community we have here!

We went camping over the weekend and went on a fairy hunt! You won't believe what we found!

For now though, Madeline wants to go down for her nap. I do have time to show you the ACEOs I put up on ebay. I made 4 others, but they are for a swap and I can't show them just yet. This was my first time making ATCs. It was fun to see how small I could do a face! Boy, did I get on a roll!
I just treated them like mini paintings. Lillian had me hold them up like cards and she would pick the one that I would paint that day. It was a great game, and she'd rush home to see it finished.

I just love that little girl! I hate to take her to school, but can't help but smile watching her run off to get in line. She's so brave and it makes me realize that she's her own little person and is seeing the world through her own little set of eyes. Now if she would just remember it when I ask her how her day was!

Have fun today ladies!

My Angel of Good Intentions

Took a break from the couch yesterday. Awesome Guy was home and was vegging on the cushions! I've had this painting drawn up for a while and was happy to get to it. Lil draws hearts over people's heads to show she loves them. I thought it looked like a halo, a bent halo. How perfect is that? We are not impervious to making mistakes, but there are so many "angels" here on earth. Yeah, none of us are perfect, so our halos are a little bent, but we do things with a good heart and that is what's important. Something helpful to remember when you find moldy grapes in your daughter's bedroom! lol

She's on ebay! Click the photo to go to the listing if you like!

At Last!

Finally! These paintings are up on ebay! It took longer, but I have a new banner and hopefully, in a few hours, I'll have a gallery at the bottom of the listing. In case anyone else is looking for that gallery tool, it is at vendio.com. You can find the stories behind the paintings on the listings. Click on the paintings to be taken there. Happy Thursday everyone! :)

Staying Up Late on Mommy Daughter Day

I have a first grader now! She's happy to see all her little friends again! Me? I miss her terribly! So does Madeline...she's always excited to go and pick Lil up after school. I did not pose her with the purse, she found it all on her own and it cracked me up!

Awesome Guy is out of town tonight and we took full advantage after Madeline went to sleep. Lillian stayed up with me while I finished 4 paintings! The cupcake girl is still drying, sorry for the glare. All but the mermaid will go on ebay this week. Lil cried when she heard I was going to sell her and through her tears asked for her for her birthday. How could I say no to that? I have a mermaid story about her too...with a video...another post for another day...we are about to pass out over here!

The tray to the high chair looks gross, but that's not food...it's paint! Madeline likes to paint too and I have a little watercolor set for her...she's always covered in paint by the end, but oh so fun!

Sweet dreams my bloggie friends!